Government Investigations + Enforcement

For many companies, government investigations and enforcement actions are an unfortunate reality in today’s world. How you respond to and manage these matters can help to mitigate disruption and keep your business on track, and you need a partner who is intimately familiar with navigating these murky waters. Goodwin has extensive experience responding to government investigations, defending enforcement actions, and managing administrative, criminal, and private proceedings. We represent our companies, directors and audit committees in investigations relating to securities fraud, the FCPA, the False Claims Act, healthcare fraud, whistleblower allegations and alleged violations of financial lending regulations. And in the event an enforcement action proceeds, we advocate for our clients before the government on a daily basis, responding to investigation requests, negotiating the resolution of enforcement actions and advocating for our clients before a wide range of federal and state agencies, including the SEC, DOJ, CFPB, and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and state attorneys general.

In the current environment, many private securities class action cases proceed side-by-side with investigations by SEC Enforcement, one or more state Attorneys General, and the U.S. Department of Justice. We regularly handle such parallel proceedings, working as a team with the lawyers in Securities & Shareholder Litigation and Financial Services Litigation practices, and are experienced in advising clients in these complex and high-risk situations. We also conduct internal investigations on behalf of boards of directors and committees of independent directors.

With an extraordinary collective reputation, we are well prepared to handle the full range of challenges facing our clients, from government inquiries to full-scale enforcement actions, criminal trials and related civil lawsuits. While we have resolved many of these matters quickly and quietly in advance of litigation and public scrutiny, we are genuine trial lawyers who do not hesitate to try a case when we – and our clients – believe it is the best approach.

Richard M. Strassberg

Consumer Financial Services Enforcement + Government Investigations

For many consumer finance businesses, government investigations and enforcement actions are an unfortunate reality in today’s world, and you need a partner that will help you manage the risks associated with such matters. Goodwin has substantial experience representing banks, non-bank lenders and servicers, student loan companies, credit card issuers, auto finance companies, debt collectors, non-traditional finance companies, and other market participants in responding to government investigations, defending enforcement actions, and managing administrative, criminal, and private proceedings.

False Claims Act

Whistleblowers and the U.S. Department of Justice use the False Claims Act (FCA) to extract damages and civil penalties, which pose a significant threat to many corporations.

State attorneys general are conducting investigations and asserting claims under state laws modeled around the federal FCA, and more qui tam actions are being filed each year as the opportunity for significant whistleblower monetary awards increases.

Our FCA attorneys represent companies and their officers, directors, and employees in complex criminal fraud investigations, internal investigations, and civil and qui tam litigation . We have handled cases and investigations in numerous industries, including government contract, health care, pharmaceuticals and life sciences.

Financial Industry

From acquiring a company to raising public or private funds to defending lawsuits or government investigations and enforcement actions, we provide strategic and tactical advice, a range of pragmatic options, and bottom-line results. We do more than just help our clients survive the current challenges; we partner with them to find the best solutions and identify new business opportunities.

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

Compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is a critical business issue for international companies with operations in the United States. Government investigations and enforcement actions resulting from alleged violations of the FCPA can be a financial liability and place an unwelcome public spotlight on a company’s management. Goodwin's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act team, which includes a number of former federal prosecutors, has extensive experience investigating and defending against FCPA allegations.

Privacy + Cybersecurity

As businesses today face an increasingly sophisticated threat environment compounded by aggressive regulatory enforcement, companies need a partner who can help mitigate risk and respond to the unthinkable. Our Privacy + Cybersecurity practice is one of the longest-standing of any AmLaw 50 firm. Dating back to the late 1990s and established formally in 2004, our practice is fully integrated and leverages the firm's core strengths, with the group's lawyers coming from our technology, financial institutions, licensing, litigation, regulatory and appellate practices. Our unique approach, focusing on client needs and value, enables us to engage specialists whose experience is framed by a holistic understanding of clients' greatest risks in this threatening environment.

Private Equity

In the face of a competitive marketplace, elite private equity firms expect counsel with extensive experience and a stable of blue chip relationships. That’s why private equity firms have been entrusting their deals to Goodwin for decades. We believe our position to be unique within BigLaw given the collaboration of our private equity team with our robust life sciences, technology and healthcare practices. With our largest and strongest practices working together, Goodwin is exceptionally suited to address whatever the future brings.

Our Private Equity team ranks as one of the top in the United States, and we are on a trajectory of rapid ascent, both in the U.S. and abroad. The group is a market leader in the expansive middle market sector, having earned a reputation for notable buyouts, growth equity deals and growth company representations in key sectors such as technology, healthcare, financial and business services, consumer and manufacturing. And with the breakneck pace of technology disrupting industries around the world, we are uniquely positioned to partner with our clients and embrace the promise and potential of innovation.

Real Estate Industry

Rising interest rates? Falling tenant demand? “High-yield” or “value-added”? Across the global real estate capital markets, how you position yourself with respect to risk and return is critical for maximizing your investments. Whether assessing demographic trends and capital flows or anticipating geographic shifts, Goodwin’s Real Estate Industry Group offers deep market insight and a practical approach to help you make the most of every investment decision – from private fund formation and all types of real estate transactions to REIT and real estate M&A, we excel at what we do.

Securities + Shareholder Litigation

When a company is faced with a securities class action or shareholder derivative litigation, they need a partner who understands what is at stake and can think outside the box to achieve resolution. Goodwin’s deep experience, creative thinking and tenacity has led to our involvement in precedent-setting securities cases in courts across the country. The results we achieve are best of breed and have helped shape the law nationally, including outright dismissals of billions of dollars in putative class action and shareholder derivative claims. Our cases range from defending high tech and biotech companies in class action securities fraud litigation brought following restatements of earnings or the release of bad business news, to resolving shareholder derivative challenges, to multibillion dollar mergers and acquisitions.

Technology

As a growing technology company, your prospects are exciting and your challenges are unique – from securing funding, protecting IP, and navigating the regulatory environment, to differentiating yourself in the marketplace, managing customer acquisition and scaling your business. We get it. Our dedicated team brings a comprehensive, coordinated approach that interconnects business, new technologies and the law. Our depth of experience in the private equity space along with our technology, healthcare and life sciences lawyers makes Goodwin uniquely suited to harness the breakneck pace of technology. We partner with clients to embrace the promise and potential of innovation to make a profound and lasting impact.

White Collar Defense

Whether you’re a chief executive officer or member of the board, knowing what to do and having the right partner when the government comes knocking can mean the difference between quiet resolution or a very public indictment. Fortune 500 companies, corporate executives, directors and other individual business leaders repeatedly turn to Goodwin when faced with the most sensitive, complex and potentially damaging white collar litigation. That’s because we’ve successfully represented clients in many of the most high profile white collar matters in recent memory. We can do the same for you.

For many consumer finance businesses, government investigations and enforcement actions are an unfortunate reality in today’s world, and you need a partner that will help you manage the risks associated with such matters. Goodwin has substantial experience representing banks, non-bank lenders and servicers, student loan companies, credit card issuers, auto finance companies, debt collectors, non-traditional finance companies, and other market participants in responding to government investigations, defending enforcement actions, and managing administrative, criminal, and private proceedings.

Whistleblowers and the U.S. Department of Justice use the False Claims Act (FCA) to extract damages and civil penalties, which pose a significant threat to many corporations.

State attorneys general are conducting investigations and asserting claims under state laws modeled around the federal FCA, and more qui tam actions are being filed each year as the opportunity for significant whistleblower monetary awards increases.

Our FCA attorneys represent companies and their officers, directors, and employees in complex criminal fraud investigations, internal investigations, and civil and qui tam litigation . We have handled cases and investigations in numerous industries, including government contract, health care, pharmaceuticals and life sciences.

From acquiring a company to raising public or private funds to defending lawsuits or government investigations and enforcement actions, we provide strategic and tactical advice, a range of pragmatic options, and bottom-line results. We do more than just help our clients survive the current challenges; we partner with them to find the best solutions and identify new business opportunities.

Compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is a critical business issue for international companies with operations in the United States. Government investigations and enforcement actions resulting from alleged violations of the FCPA can be a financial liability and place an unwelcome public spotlight on a company’s management. Goodwin's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act team, which includes a number of former federal prosecutors, has extensive experience investigating and defending against FCPA allegations.

As businesses today face an increasingly sophisticated threat environment compounded by aggressive regulatory enforcement, companies need a partner who can help mitigate risk and respond to the unthinkable. Our Privacy + Cybersecurity practice is one of the longest-standing of any AmLaw 50 firm. Dating back to the late 1990s and established formally in 2004, our practice is fully integrated and leverages the firm's core strengths, with the group's lawyers coming from our technology, financial institutions, licensing, litigation, regulatory and appellate practices. Our unique approach, focusing on client needs and value, enables us to engage specialists whose experience is framed by a holistic understanding of clients' greatest risks in this threatening environment.

In the face of a competitive marketplace, elite private equity firms expect counsel with extensive experience and a stable of blue chip relationships. That’s why private equity firms have been entrusting their deals to Goodwin for decades. We believe our position to be unique within BigLaw given the collaboration of our private equity team with our robust life sciences, technology and healthcare practices. With our largest and strongest practices working together, Goodwin is exceptionally suited to address whatever the future brings.

Our Private Equity team ranks as one of the top in the United States, and we are on a trajectory of rapid ascent, both in the U.S. and abroad. The group is a market leader in the expansive middle market sector, having earned a reputation for notable buyouts, growth equity deals and growth company representations in key sectors such as technology, healthcare, financial and business services, consumer and manufacturing. And with the breakneck pace of technology disrupting industries around the world, we are uniquely positioned to partner with our clients and embrace the promise and potential of innovation.

Rising interest rates? Falling tenant demand? “High-yield” or “value-added”? Across the global real estate capital markets, how you position yourself with respect to risk and return is critical for maximizing your investments. Whether assessing demographic trends and capital flows or anticipating geographic shifts, Goodwin’s Real Estate Industry Group offers deep market insight and a practical approach to help you make the most of every investment decision – from private fund formation and all types of real estate transactions to REIT and real estate M&A, we excel at what we do.

When a company is faced with a securities class action or shareholder derivative litigation, they need a partner who understands what is at stake and can think outside the box to achieve resolution. Goodwin’s deep experience, creative thinking and tenacity has led to our involvement in precedent-setting securities cases in courts across the country. The results we achieve are best of breed and have helped shape the law nationally, including outright dismissals of billions of dollars in putative class action and shareholder derivative claims. Our cases range from defending high tech and biotech companies in class action securities fraud litigation brought following restatements of earnings or the release of bad business news, to resolving shareholder derivative challenges, to multibillion dollar mergers and acquisitions.

As a growing technology company, your prospects are exciting and your challenges are unique – from securing funding, protecting IP, and navigating the regulatory environment, to differentiating yourself in the marketplace, managing customer acquisition and scaling your business. We get it. Our dedicated team brings a comprehensive, coordinated approach that interconnects business, new technologies and the law. Our depth of experience in the private equity space along with our technology, healthcare and life sciences lawyers makes Goodwin uniquely suited to harness the breakneck pace of technology. We partner with clients to embrace the promise and potential of innovation to make a profound and lasting impact.

Whether you’re a chief executive officer or member of the board, knowing what to do and having the right partner when the government comes knocking can mean the difference between quiet resolution or a very public indictment. Fortune 500 companies, corporate executives, directors and other individual business leaders repeatedly turn to Goodwin when faced with the most sensitive, complex and potentially damaging white collar litigation. That’s because we’ve successfully represented clients in many of the most high profile white collar matters in recent memory. We can do the same for you.